Meet the founder and CEO of Ligandal

I’m Andre Watson. I’m Founder and CEO of Ligandal, a genetic medicine company that uses nanotechnology to develop targeted and personalised therapies.

We are a regenerative medicine biotechnology company currently developing ultra-rapid therapeutics and vaccines for outbreaks and pandemics, with a broadly applicable technology that can also be tailored to a variety of cell targeting and gene therapy needs. Our current focus is on delivering a peptide-based cure to the COVID-19 pandemic (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus), as part of a broader mission of enabling personalised medicine on a global scale through the power of nanomedicine and gene therapies. 

My formal background is in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on Biomaterials Science and gene delivery. I started Ligandal when I was 22 and moved to Silicon Valley to gain support for developing the next generation of medicine. I am an inventor on 45 issued and pending patents for next-generation bioengineering techniques, synthetic vaccines, and delivery of nucleic acids and proteins with cell-specific targeting molecules. My personal mission is to bring about humanity's prosperity through enabling a world where we can program biological systems at will, and for good.

What does your business do? 

Here at Ligandal, we precision genetic nanomedicines for targeting and manipulating a variety of pathological traits, and creating a range of technologies from those for pandemic defence to regenerative medicine and rare disease. We build nanotechnology that interacts with biology and reprograms pathologies at their source, so to speak.

What inspired you to launch your business?

I became involved in genetic medicine as part of my undergraduate studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and saw the potential of gene editing technology and targeted delivery to transform medicine. Rather than spend a career in an academic lab, I decided to up route to Silicon Valley and launch a company that would focus on delivering practical solutions from the outset after showing the earliest proof of concept of a targeted gene editing delivery vehicle in 2012-2014. We believe harnessing the potential of genetic medicine and nanomedicine will enable us to constantly improve standards, delivering personalised treatments that enable us to keep people healthier for longer.

So, with that in mind, what is your end goal then? 

Certainly, the eventual goal is to program disease states with a similar ease to how we program computers today. It may sound crazy, but it is more than possible.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

I founded Ligandal to take a holistic approach to genetic medicine. Some companies focus on gene editing, but lack the capability to deliver their editors, while others focus on delivery. We have built a platform of delivery and editing tools. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of our first product and allowed us to focus on just the peptide delivery portion of our platform without gene editing. We are confident that once we’ve delivered our peptide to market, we will use our platform to solve some of the world’s other most pressing health issues including genetic diseases and regenerative approaches to medicine.

What plans do you have for Ligandal over the next two years?

We hope to be able to develop a coronavirus antidote-vaccine in an expedited fashion, and continue building off our gene editing and gene delivery approaches for targeted interventions in diverse cell types and systems, beginning in T cell immuno-oncology and haematology and expanding to other organ systems and disease states.

Any new product launches we should know about?

Absolutely, stay tuned for our COVID-19 antidote-vaccine. I’m optimistic about the future and hope that we can play a role in offsetting this crisis.

And what about you, tell us about yourself? 

I studied Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and always wanted to be a scientist. I ventured into the fields of biomaterials, gene editing and nanomedicine after discovering a passion for pharmacology—the way that drugs affect various receptors and physiological systems—and seeing a rift between what we know about targeted drug delivery and what we know about delivering nanoscale systems for gene therapy and beyond. I developed the world's first proof of concept for delivering a guided nuclease gene editing tool with a non-viral nanocarrier, which was the original basis for spinning out Ligandal. At 21, I purchased a one-way ticket to Silicon Valley to raise money for my start-up and I’ve never looked back.

What’s the single most important decision that you made, that contributed to your business?

There was this critical inflection point at the beginning of 2013 where I was still exploring going to get a PhD. I wanted to study neuroengineering and synapse physiology and dedicated a lot of time to this field from a literature research perspective. I remember having this realisation that, if I could raise more than a million dollars a year to spend on research by the time I reached 38, I'd be better off than the average tenured professor. Quite frankly, I would never have achieved all I have done so far or be on the cusp of delivering products that can enhance human health if I had stayed in academia. Sure, it was an unconventional choice, but the right one for me.

I feel that I gained a really unique balance of insight and background in PhD-level work on complex biological and nanoscale systems, as well as learning the ins and outs of starting companies and fundraising too.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

For me it is this; ‘surround yourself with the right people’. Some people are in business for the wrong reasons and principally exist only to exploit and derive value from the hard work of others. Even in a field such as medicine, many people (sadly) see opportunities in fast growth industries that offers the opportunity to get rich, and this is their primary incentive. They will take steps to undermine your efforts at building long-term businesses. I’m interested in working with people and organisations who have a genuine desire to advance science for the benefit of humankind and understand the difference between building hard technology the world needs, versus the next social networking or food delivery app.

Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?

I used to compete as a classical pianist and still love to play. I play for at least an hour a day on most days. In fact, if you follow me on Twitter, I post a piece every now and then. But even the piano can’t come between me and my espresso, which is essential to start the day. I also usually spend 10-20 minutes meditating every morning and just let my mind wander, assembling tasks for the day and broader context of what needs to be done. I also used to compete in powerlifting, and although I'm not at a five-plate deadlift level anymore, the interface of fitness and nutrition in mental health and wellbeing is significant. Squats definitely do the body good.

If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?

Great question…

Elon Musk; I love the way he has figured out how to build things at the next scale across fields and disciplines. He knows how to push the limits of what's possible without giving up.

Jeff Bezos; for similar reasons. He has figured out how to scale things across markets and build a business that extends into several aspects of our lives.

Steve Jobs (RIP); He saw the world as something that can be morphed, and never gave up on his vision of seeing everyone have a personal computer.

The final spot.. hmm, well I'm a big fan of Robert Langer and George Yancopoulos at Regeneron is a big inspiration to me. But I think I’m going to leave this fourth spot up for grabs for now.